Abu Dhabi to recycle, re-use all waste water by 2020

Growth of emirate’s population in last four decades also impacted the emirate’s environment negatively 

Abu Dhabi: By 2020 Abu Dhabi will recycle and re-use all of its wastewater within the emirate, officials said on Monday.

As it stands now, Abu Dhabi currently reuses only five per cent of its treated wastewater while the emirate uses 60 per cent groundwater and 35 per cent desalinated water, Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) revealed it in its “Environment Report 2017” in the capital.

Speaking to Gulf News on the sideline of the release at Masdar City, Dr Mohammad Dawoud, Water Resources Advisor at the EAD, said: “Our target is to recycle all of the discarded water of the emirate and re-use it for irrigation purposes as 60 per cent of our irrigation water comes from water wells.”

“Over the last decade, the emirate’s overall groundwater level has continuously declined, particularly in the Eastern Region. The sustainability of the emirate’s precious groundwater resources is one of the greatest sustainability challenges that the UAE faces,” the report said.

More than 115,000 water wells lie within the emirate, of which, 80 per cent are being utilised. Read More...

A water meter is installed to measure the amount of rainwater that has been use. The recycled water also use for garden sprinkler system, toilet flush, cooling system, aquaponics and used in fish pond.

There are two main projects within the scope of the water recycling program being prepared.

• Project 1. Biological Treatment for Building Waste Water Drying Treated And Used in Irrigation of The Garden

• Project 2. Collecting Rain Water by Building A Pond and Using The Garden Irrigation

The physical conditions and financial analyzes of these projects have been made and the necessary planning has been made.